


water and fire collide

by planetundersiege



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: AtLA, F/M, Firebending & Firebenders, Fluff, Gift Exchange, Play Fighting, Post-Canon, Slice of Life, Sparring, Strategy & Tactics, Waterbending & Waterbenders, Wordcount: 1.000-3.000, Zutara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:29:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27161159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/planetundersiege/pseuds/planetundersiege
Summary: There were a few things as intense as a sparring match between Katara and Zuko.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8
Collections: Fic In A Box





	water and fire collide

**Author's Note:**

  * For [firelord65](https://archiveofourown.org/users/firelord65/gifts).



Take a deep breath.

Feel the air slowly filling up your lungs, the oxygen moving around in your bloodstream and giving you life, before exhaling it, and then do the process over and over again. Feel your entire body, become one with it to prepare yourself and get ready. Take control, and think of your bending as an invisible but sturdy extension of your own self and your own arms.

Believe in yourself. You will win this.

Those were all words going through Katara’s head as she kept on breathing to relax her body. In just a few moments, her sparring match with Zuko would begin, and she was determined to win and absolutely crush him. She loved sparring, the exercise she got, the rush of adrenaline as all of her body was on edge, everything going in both slow motion and way too fast to comprehend at the same time. Having to duck, jump and make decisions on a win and get the upper hand.

To challenge herself and feel the sweat coat all of her body, proving that she had done a good job and had a good workout while practicing her bending, perfecting it every time, improving. And the sweet reward of a job well done, proof of how she got better each day, while challenging herself to the very edge.

And not just herself, but Zuko too. Her boyfriend was her absolute favorite sparring partner, the contrast in her quick and swift waterbending clashing with his quick and fierce fire that seemed to grow in size while trying to take over all the air and room around her, making her face sweat as she felt the burning heat close. Being on the edge of a battle, she loved that feeling, especially since she knew her life wasn’t actually in danger. This was a fun thing they did, were they both could improve and learn from their mistakes they made during their matches. 

They could think about them and come up with new strategies, the matches becoming more and more wild and intense each time. So intense that both Sokka and Aang had looked concerned, like they were fighting like back in the old days when they were truly fighting for their lives, truly wanting to kill the other.

But it wasn’t like that anymore, both (especially Katara) were simply too competitive for their own good.

“Ready?” Zuko asked as Katara saw him getting into a stance with a cocky smirk on his face. She nodded back at him, taking one last large breath, enjoying the calm before the storm, one of her last few breaths before her heartbeat would become intense and up in her throat, practically begging her to slow down.

She got into a stance of her own, making sure to get a proper grip with her feet like she had learned from Toph, and then spoke up.

  
“You know I am, and I’m gonna crush you.”

“Dream on.”

“On three.”

They both nodded, and like many times before, they counted together, saying the numbers loudly, and screaming the three.

The moment the three left their mouths, the fight was in motion, and all the peacefulness was gone with the wind, traded for the adrenaline of being on the battlefield, and an intense fight where neither had the intent of backing down, especially not Katara. She had a four match winning streak and wanted to make it a fifth, not just for herself, but because she loved to tease Zuko after each match he lost.

Before she even had the time to think, she saw how Zuko took a step backwards, and then ran quickly before violently jumping into the air, clenching his fists as he hit the air like there was no tomorrow, the flames coming to life like a violent storm that was moving towards her with a high speed.

Katara reacted quickly, jumping to the side and concentrating hardly, truly feeling all of her limbs and all of the water in her surroundings. The air was wet and humid, it had rained, and she used it to her advantage. She held her hands out and clenched her fists shut like if she was squeezing a lemon, squeezing out all of the water drops from the air and making it into a large bubble that shielded her from the first wave of fire. And as it came, she saw how Zuko quickly jumped back into the air, now kicking with his foot to make it hit lower.

She parried, and then took the water, forming the bubble into a long wave of moving water, ready to use it to both defend and attack with it as a whip.

As she saw Zuko land back onto the ground, she took the opportunity and ran forward, moving her arms to steer the water towards him, quickly and heavy as she tried to hit him and throw him off balance. He dodged, trying to send a quick burst of fire back at her, but she just used the remaining water as a shield moved by her left hand, while still using her right to try and attack him.

She could already feel her heart beating insanely fast, making it feel like it was all up in her throat, begging her to slow down, like it was preparing for an actual fight or flight. But she wouldn’t slow down, not until she beat Zuko. She felt how the sweat was running down her back, making her clothes stick to her skin in an icky way that she quickly repressed for the moment.

She let the water move in quick circles, but switched to an erratic pattern after a few seconds, wanting to make sure that Zuko wouldn’t figure out his plan as he tried to hit her with fist after fist of fiery rage, only to be blocked by it. He never found an opening, all his efforts being distinguished quicker than someone blowing out a candle. To put it simply, Katara was proud so far.

She kept switching from attacking to shielding his attacks, running and jumping around and across the terrain, always ready and always searching for new openings and opportunities, analyzing his every move like a hungry platypusbear searching the woods for its next meal. Time had become a blur, not something she registered. All that did was the fighting, the water, and the fire, and her determination that was soaring through the roof of the imaginary house in her mind. She would find his weakness even if it took her all day, she was going to win this.

Katara saw how Zuko tried to change tactics, running backwards but still keeping an eye out for her, taking quick shallow breaths, probably to fill himself with power, preparing for a large amount of fire to surprise her and get her off guard. Too bad she already knew him too well, this was the only logical step she could think of him taking.

So she used the opportunity to her advantage. She moved all her power towards one hand, making sure to guide the water, but still moving her other hand in a way that it seemed like she was using all of her energy on that amount of water, when in reality she was quickly locating the water in all the flowers she could find in the surroundings, waiting for the perfect moment to harvest it just to turn them into sharp icicles, ready to surprise the Fire Lord.

And like she had predicated, Zuko  _ did _ do exactly as she imagined. He used all of his power to conjure the largest sum of fire the battle had seen so far. It was a mighty move that would scare the inexperienced fighter, making them take a step back before needing a few seconds to rethink their strategy. And in a battle like this, every second was valuable. If this wasn’t sparring, if it had been a real battle with enemies, just one second could be the difference with life and death.

And it was the confusion of inexperienced fighters that made the firebenders usually win when using this trick, because the opponents confusion was usually longer than the five second period it took for a firebender to recharge properly and to make the next blow, one that would be final. She knew that was how Zuko expected to win the battle, he thought Katara would be taken aback, just to use the final blow, making sure the fire stopped just inches from her face, signalizing a victory.

But she knew that, she wasn’t scared when the fire came.

Instead, she stood her ground with a smile on her face as she used her water as a shield, and the moment she could see Zuko again, him having about three seconds left until he would do the final blow, she twisted her other wrist, taking all the water with her from the flowers.

Go.

She let out a powerful scream as she turned them into sharp icicles that were lunging towards his throat, stopping mere centimeters from his body, not piercing him. Katara heard how Zuko let out a surprised yelp, and as he did, she twisted her wrist again, making the water turn into a liquid, and letting gravity take over, water falling to the ground.

Both stared at each other as they stood on the ground, completely still, and after a few seconds, an exhausting hit and they fell onto the ground, happily. Katara let her back rest on the most dirty, making her clothes muddy. She closed her eyes, becoming one with herself as she listened to the sounds of nature and realized how loud and heavy her breathing was.

This was so relaxing, finally out of the battle, letting her body relax like it had craved, it was the best reward as she felt the muscles burning. She knew all of her would hurt tomorrow, but honestly, she loved the feeling, it filled her with a happy satisfaction that she was getting stronger. She was so proud of herself, and after a good sparring she wouldn’t even be annoyed when she washed her own clothes.

And the post sparring bath was always the best, as she got to rid her body of all the sweat and grime and dirt that seemed to plague her with an itch. Another pro outweighing the cons of the activity.

Neither of them had any idea for how long they just laid there, looking up at the clear blue sky with just a few fluffy clouds here and there. It could have been a minute, an hour, or five lifetimes, time still being a messed blur. But it was a good eternity that they spent there, just the two of them. Katara and Zuko, the best sparring partners.

“That was… a good fight.” Zuko then said, and by his tone, Katara could easily hear that he was still out of breath. Their eternity could have only been a short moment, probably less than three minutes, she realized. And as she realized it, she decided to get up from the ground as she noticed how uncomfortable her back actually was against the cold and slimy mud. 

The post fighting adrenaline was beginning to wear off, and all the good highs of the fight were disappearing with finally realizing what was going on around them, feeling different feelings and reacting to the textures of wearing wet and dirty clothing, and their muscles begging to go to sleep. Yes, they might have overdone it again, even though Katara would never admit it.

“Yeah, and I kicked your butt.”

“That’s just luck, I’ll get you next time.”

“Dream on Fire Lord, you’re just a sore loser.”

“You know I’m not, and you know I’m gonna win.”

“That was the fifth time in a row I showed you my skills, and I am going to keep my winning streak no matter what. You know how competitive I am.”

“Can’t argue with the competitive part. You’re crazy.”

“Crazy is such a harsh word, I’d say dedicated.”

“Definitely crazy.”

Zuko inched himself closer towards Katara, and then put his arm around her shoulder and leaned toward her, his weight against her feeling relaxing even if her arm in pain told him to get off.

She kissed him on the cheek, before immediately regretting it, turning around and spitting at the ground.

  
“Hey, what was that for?”

“Your entire face is filled with mud, disgusting.”

“Well, who’s fault is that, miss waterbender?”

“Hah, point taken. Let’s go get a bath, and then let’s cuddle for the rest of the day, telling your servants to cook up all our favorite foods to spoil ourselves.”

“Sounds like a plan.”


End file.
